Undergarment



June 13, 1967 H. w. FROEHLICH UNDERGARMENT Filed Sept. 28, 1964 Harry M fled/1M mvsmorc BY v [Home United States Patent 3,324,857 UNDERGARMENT Harry W. Froelilich, Pacific Palisades, Calif, assignor to Charmfit of Hollywood, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Sept. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 399,725 8 Claims. (Cl. 128-535) The present invention relates generally to undergarments for feminine wear, and is more particularly concerned with an improved stocking supporter construction therein.

'It is One object of the present invention to provide an improved stocking supporter construction which may be applied with equal facility to different types of undergarments such as a garter belt, girdle, panty brief or panty girdle, and when so applied will provide the improved inherent features in each case.

A further object is to provide front stocking supporters in a unique arrangement wherein garter pull will be from the waist rather than from the bottom of the garment as in conventional arrangements.

A still further object is to provide an elastic supporter in which the elastic for each front garter is crossed to and connected with the opposite hip waist band so that stresses will be taken by the elastic material between each leg as it moves forward and the opposite hip as it moves rearwardly, and vice versa, during walking movements.

Another object of the herein described invention is to provide a unique combination waist band and supporter in which stresses will be transmitted in two directions, namely, at the waist as a primarily transverse body pull, and at the connected garter as a generally lengthwise body pull.

Still another object is to provide an improved undergarment in which normal and body movement stresses will be equalized over the garment, and wrinkling and bulging will be minimized.

Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a garter belt undergarment embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the invention as applied to a panty brief; and

FIG. 3 is a similar view illustrating the invention as being applied to a panty girdle.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the features of the present invention will be explained primarily with reference to its application to a garter belt undergarment as shown in FIG. 1, although it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such undergarment and with equal facility be incorporated in a girdle, a parity brief undergarment as shown in FIG. 2 as well as a panty girdle undergarment as shown in FIG. 3

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, there is here shown a garter belt undergarment having a torso encircling main body which is fabricated from a stretch fabric material, preferably a multidirectional stretch fabric material, which is extended around hip portions to provide sections 10a and 10b which may be rearwardly connected along a seam line 11 to provide front and rear portions of the main body.

The upper edge margins of the sections 100 and 10b are secured, as by stitching or other means, to an elongate band 12 of a material which is longitudinally stretchable, and which has slight give transversely. The band 12 is provided with a looped portion 13 intermediate its ends, the end portions 13 and 13b being crossed at the front of the garment and secured together at a point 14 lying medially of the front of the garment. With such arrangement, the loop 13 forms a waist band which extends directly at the rear of the garment between hip points 15a and 1512, while in the front of the garment the looped portions of the band dip downwardly to the point of securement 14 from whence the end portions 13a and 13b are continued to opposite sides in diverging relationship to provide front supporters which are removably connectible at their ends with stocking grips 16.

It will be observed that the diverging end portions 13a and 13b, which are secured as by suitable stitching or otherwise to the adjacent edge margins of the body sections 10a and 10b, cooperate to form in effect an inverted-V area at the front of the garment, and which may be bridged by an inverter-V front panel 17 of decorative lace or other material having little or no stretch characteristics. This panel is secured along its outer edges as by stitching or otherwise to the adjacent band portions, and is shown as having its lower edge margin 17a as receding from the points of securement to the respective end portion 13a or 13b.

In the garment just described, the side margins of the sections 10a and 1012 are so cut that pointed projections 18a and 18b are provided at the rear of the garment for connection of rear supporters 19a and 1%., while projections 20a and 2% may be formed at the front of the garment for the front supporters.

With the foregoing arrangement, it will be readily apparent that by constructing the band 12 so that it cooperatively forms a looped waist band portion and supporter portions which are medially crossed at the point of securement 14, the band operates in a unique manner to transmit front supporter stresses in two directions, these stresses appearing at the waist as primarily transverse body pull, and at the supporters as a generally lengthwise body pull. Moreover, my improved arrangement results in an equalizing of forces over the garment so that wrinkling and bulging will be minimized both under normal conditions as well as during walking conditions when stresses are set up in the forward waist band portion and supporter portion as a wearers leg is moved forward with corresponding rear movement of the opposite hip, and vice versa. Greater comfort is thus provided the wearer.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the same features of construction are shown as being incorporated in a panty brief undergarment. As therein illustrated, similar numerals have been utilized to identify similar parts of the construction.

The illustrated embodiment in FIG. 2 differs primarily from that shown in FIG. 1 in that the main body 10 is made of greater length, and in addition, the front panel 17 is subtended by an under panel 21 of multidirectional stretch fabric, this panel being similarly secured along its side edges to the end portions 13a and 13b. At its lower-most margin, the panel 21 is extended to provide a crotch extending part 22 which connects with the lower margin of the rear portion of the main body. As is the usual custom, the crotch part 22 may be provided with a liner 23 which may be secured as by stitching 24 and 25 as its respective ends to the crotch part.

Referring to FIG. 3, the panty girdle undergarment has the main body extended so as to form enveloping leg portions 26a and 26b. With this construction, the upper ends of the stockings would extend into these leg portions, so that the front supporter fasteners will in this case have to be positioned above the ends of the leg portions. In this embodiment, therefore, the stocking grips 16 are connected to the end portions 13a and 13b and are placed inside the leg portions rather than exteriorly.

From the foregoing description, it is believed readily apparent that the improved undergarment construction involving my unique front supporter arrangement is readily embodied in undergarments of the garter belt, pantry brief and panty girdle types, and that the inherent features as set forth in the objects have been attained in the described arrangements.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence, I do not Wish to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an undergarment having a torso encircling body of stretch material, a longitudinal stretchable band looped between its ends to provide 21 waist encircling portion secured along a top edge of said body, the band end portions being crossed at the front of the garment and interconnected at a front middle point and from which point the end portions divergently curve into spaced substantially parallel vertical depending front supporters respectively adapted for connection with a stocking.

2. In an undergarment having a waist portion of stretch material, a waist band of material having longibeing secured along upper edging of the waist portion and extending across the waist back, and in the front extending downwardly from each hip portion through a medial crossing point of securement to opposite sides connected to edges of front panels so as to provide depending stocking supporters having substantially parallel end portions in which the tension stresses occurring in each supporter will be transferred to the opposite hip portion.

3. An undergarment, comprising: a torso encircling body of stretch material, a waist band of longitudinally stretchable material secured to upper edging of said body, said band material at the front of said body being dipped from the respective waist sides and crossed to the opposite body side at a medial front point of interconnection and 4. An undergarment according to claim 3, wherein 4 the diverging end portions are further connected to opposite side edge margins of a front inverted Vpanel.

5. An undergarment, comprising: a torso encircling body of stretch material, a waist band of longitudinally stretchable material secured to upper edging of said body, said band material at the front of said body being dipped from the respective waist sides and crossed to the opposite body side at a medial front point of interconnection to provide diverging band end portions for connection with front stocking supporter connectors; and a front panel of two way stretch material laterally connected at its edge margins to said diverging band end portions.

6. An undergarment, comprising: a torso encircling body of stretch material, a waist band of longitudinally stretchable material secured to upper edging of said body, said band material at the front of said body extending substantially in a transverse direction and being dipped from the respective waist sides and crossed to the opposite body side at a medial interconnection point to provide diverging band end portions extending beyond said point in a substantially vertical direction for connection with front stocking supporter connectors; a front panel of two way stretch material laterally connected at its edge margins to said diverging band end portions; and a crotch extending portion connecting said front panel and the back of said body.

7. An undergarment according to claim 6, which includes an overlaying second front panel of non-stretchable material having an inverted V-shape, and with its opposite edge margins respectively secured to said diverging band end portions.

8. An undergarment according to claim 7 in which the lower edge of the second front panel recedes upwardly from each of the associated band end portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,555,892 6/1951 Lazara 2--306 2,654,890 10/1953 Trope et al. 2306 2,953,134 9/1960 Kaupp 128548 3,127,897 4/1964 Buckingham 128-528 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN UNDERGARMENT HAVING A TORSO ENCIRCLING BODY OF STRETCH MATERIAL, A LONGITUDINAL STRETCHABLE BAND LOOPED BETWEEN ITS ENDS TO PROVIDE WAIST ENCIRCLING PORTION SECURED ALONG A TOP EDGE OF SAID BODY, THE BAND END PORTIONS BEING CROSSED AT THE FRONT OF THE GARMENT AND INTERCONNECTED AT A FRONT MIDDLE POINT AND FROM WHICH POINT THE END PORTIONS DIVERGENTLY CURVE INTO SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL VERTICAL DEPENDING FRONT SUPPORTERS RESPECTIVELY ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION WITH A STOCKING. 